The Gadget: The Anyfix, the universal mobile phone charger that's designed by famed industrial designer Luigi Colani, charges many non-smartphones on the market today from Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola and Nokia. There are a handful of different included tips, which you cycle through by pressing the button on the front. Once you choose the right tip, just slide your phone in and the plastic grips on the side and front hold your phone in place.

The Verdict: It actually works as claimed, securely holding and charging all the listed phones. However, the size and position of the charger when plugged in means it's very unwieldy in a power strip and needs to be stuck directly into a wall socket or else it will usurp most, if not all the outlets. Even in this wall position, it takes up both sockets and prohibits anything else from being plugged in.

Compared with other universal chargers that we've reviewed, such as the Gomadic or the Chargepod which work with multiple, exchangeable tips that can charge 4-6 gadgets at a time, the Anyfix seems too bulky to recommend unless you've only got two or three supported phones that you don't need to charge at the same time. The lack of miniUSB charging also rules out many of our smartphone-loving readers. If it weren't for the previous two universal chargers letting you power multiple devices simultaneously, Anyfix would be the king of mid- to low-end charging with a pretty affordable price of $49. [Anyfix]